Follow Safiya, for now

"I'm not going to forget about Emilia's offer, I've got a lot of stuff on my plate," you said, before looking at the door. "But, at least for the moment, you're the one stuck with me and vice versa. I'd rather we figure out our own deal first. And if that means we leave for now, then... we leave for now."

Surprised at first, Safiya's expression warmed into a genuine smile, as she kissed your cheek. "Thank you, friend. I will not forget your decision here today, you will not regret our newfound connection." Safiya peered out the doorway, glancing around at the sudden presence of men and women armed with various weaponry, be it firearms or strange magical instruments, clearly instructed to keep the Jinn and yourself on the premises after it seemed like Safiya was just going to walk right out before. "Hmm, I suddenly do not like this escape route. Let's make another."

Before you could ask how exactly there might be another escape route from a room with one door, Safiya walked to the opposite wall, and ran her finger along the concrete. More red glows and sparks emanated from whatever she touched, as an obvious seam was made in the wall wherever she made contact. After she had reached up to finish a rectangular-shaped seam, she gave the block of concrete a light push, as it glowed wholly red for a moment. To your surprise, the whole wall began to push outward slowly, gliding along the ground like it was sliding on ice! The thick wall opened right up to the outside as the cutaway slid far enough out for the two of you to walk right through the gap. Safiya touched the concrete slab again, and her makeshift doorway started to slide back into place, right before footsteps could be heard entering the room, and the yelling that followed.

"They didn't seem to like that. Look, don't you think we could've just asked Emilia to let us figure some stuff out for a while and then get back to her?" you asked as you followed after Safiya, along the wall of the warehouse heading toward an exit. The fence and various debris and excess construction materials surrounding the warehouse seemed like too much of a hassle for Safiya to deal with on short notice, so she opted to just head toward the true exit from the property.

Safiya glanced back at you, briefly. "You don't know her like I know her. Even though her life has had exceptional hardships, she's still a girl who grew up expecting to get everything she ever wanted. You don't propose plans to Emilia, you merely play within her game, as we are likely still doing even now. She knows my capabilities, as I am well aware of what she can and will do if you try to negotiate new plans with her. It's better to just take action and accept the risk."

"What's your problem with her, anyway?" you asked, but were quickly interrupted by one of her guards rounding the corner, someone who likely had been already posted outside.

Thinking quickly, Safiya turned to you, and snapped her fingers. You fell forward, onto your... paws? These strong, tiger-striped limbs in your view were only the first indication of something strange, but you felt your body grow in size and bulk--and power! Your head turned forward, your apparent tail swished behind you, which you tried to turn around and see only to realize your whole hindquarters, thus likely your whole self, had become the shape of a large tiger!

Safiya kept walking, and motioned for you to follow. To your surprise, quadrupedal motion came naturally. More of Safiya's magic? She did say she could turn you into anything, so it only made sense you would be able to adapt to being anything. "No need to actually attack anyone," Safiya said in hushed tones. "Emilia's not a monster." Safiya's pause made it seem like she was reflecting on the truth of that statement, before she continued. "She won't instruct them to harm us if we don't land the first blow. Just growl, look intimidating, and keep walking."

Her suggestion worked like a charm, as one growl later, her security **** backed away from you and Safiya, so long as you faced them the whole time. They didn't know what you could really do to them, and neither did you, but you were relieved that they didn't test the fact that you had only been a predatory cat for two minutes! Safiya didn't even stop throughout the whole exchange, she just kept walking like this was a normal encounter for her, right out the front fence.

Safiya and you rounded a corner, and she glanced around, looking for something. You couldn't ask what, you didn't know how to make a cat-mouth talk, so you had to simply trust the Jinn for now. She spotted what she was looking for--a girl had been jogging away from them, along the sidewalk outside the warehouse. Safiya snapped her fingers, and in an instant, you were a perfect replica of that jogger, down to her sports bra and tiny shorts!

"What the hell is this..?!" You glanced down at yourself, in shock at this body that was clearly not your own, but Safiya didn't answer immediately. In fact, she de-materialized into a red smoke in front of you, and slammed against your body! In an instant, Safiya disappeared, leaving you standing around, dumbfounded.

She wasn't gone, however. "Just start jogging. The other woman was headed down Third Avenue, so head a block down and take Second instead." Her voice sounded clear in your ears, despite the fact that you knew she was clearly within you right now. You were merely her talisman, she couldn't make you move the same way you could move her, so it was up to you to play along. Before you could give any thought to your new anatomy and body shape, you started to jog, and just dealt with the new sensations of parts jiggling and bouncing on your smaller frame.

Once you reached Second Avenue, you kept on pace, though you didn't have a destination in mind. In all actuality, you'd forgotten about the fact you were in a woman's body briefly, and instead marveled at this energy for jogging you now possessed! Jogging was definitely a lot more enjoyable when inside a body that was experienced at it, unlike the attempts you'd made where you'd try jogging once every month or so and remember why you hated it so much.

"So, uh, now what?" you said quietly, after passing a few people.

"Just keep going for a bit. I'll change you again in a few blocks, and then we can just go wherever. We have countless disguises, at least until Emilia starts sweeping for magical energies. Beyond that... I don't know yet. I didn't really have a plan, I just know I didn't want to deal with her plan. At least not until I've had some time to get out and about. She's all business, and whatever she has in mind for us, I'd rather not deal with right now."

You frowned, and stopped jogging, walking like you were cooling down. You felt like you could jog for miles more, but there was no reason to wear yourself out. "I'm just a bit worried, is all. Would she retaliate against me for running away? Cancel plans, hurt my family or girlfriend?"

"She's more patient than that, and she has to take into account my powers, mind you. If I turned you into a chair or something, you wouldn't be able to do much about anything pertaining to your normal life, so she would just be wasting energy threatening you. And I've got nothing for her to take from me, so there's not much else she can do to persuade me to voluntarily help her. Now, if you were the kind of person who would want to just start fresh with a new life, new body, we could disappear anywhere in the world and live an amazing life. But, I know Emilia wouldn't have chosen someone like that."

You nodded, it was true. Despite the debt, despite the girlfriend growing apart from you... you'd not wanted to run away from it. You wanted to see your business through, find some way to get passion back in your relationship, start a family! There were too many things you couldn't let go of. Thus, it seemed, Emilia picked wisely--you couldn't stay in hiding with your life waiting for you to return. Eventually you'd have to make yourself known again, and thus you would have to follow whatever Emilia wanted.

"For now," the Jinn's voice in your head said, "you should just find somewhere to relax and lay low. I wouldn't return to your own residence, but friends? Family? Just wandering around town in bars and hotels? Pick what feels comfortable, because I at least want a little while to enjoy a bit of freedom before whatever comes after."